On September 22, 1942, a U. S. Army B-25C bomber, (41-13098), left Presque Isle Maine Army Air Base en-route to overseas duty in England when it crashed in the nearby town of Fort Fairfield, Maine, off Fort Fairfield, Road. All seven crewmen aboard were killed.

The plane was said to be flying in poor visibility conditions.

Civilian witnesses stated they saw the aircraft burst into flames while still in the air.

The dead were identified as:

(Pilot) 1st Lt. Ralph L. Drogula, 26. He’s buried in Arlington national Cemetery. Newspaper accounts list Lt. Drogula as a Second Lieutenant, but an internet photo of his grave indicates he was a First Lieutenant. (See www.findagrave.com memorial #49175499)

There was another B-25C that left Presque Isle earlier in the day which crashed in the town of Perham, Maine, just a few miles north-west of Fort Fairfield. (The tail number of that plane was 41-13049.) In that crash, the tail section was reportedly found 1/4 mile from the wreck site possibly indicating a structural failure. (See “Perham. ME – September 22, 1942” under Maine Aviation Accidents on this website for more information.)

Both aircraft were part of the 379th Bomb Squadron, 310th Bomb Group, then based in Greenville, South Carolina.

Little information is available about this accident as press reports were vague.

On February 13, 1943, a two-man Navy plane crashed into Blue Hills Bay while on a training flight. The type of plane was not identified.

The pilot, Lieutenant John Shelley, of Wellesley, Massachusetts, was rescued by townsmen from Surrey, who braved the icy waters in a small boat to get to the downed airman.

An unidentified radioman was lost in the crash. Lt. Shelley stated that both he and the radioman had managed to climb onto a wing of the partially submerged aircraft and the radioman attempted to swim the mile or so to shore. The water was cold, with floating ice and strong currents.

On the morning of June 26, 1949, a Maine National Guard C-47A, (Ser. No. 4292076), took off from Dow Air Force Base in Bangor, Maine, to transport 22 members of the of the 195th Army Band (Maine National Guard) to Portland, Maine, for an authorized drill. Besides the members of the band, the plane carried a pilot and co-pilot, for a total complement of 24 men.

Upon reaching Portland Airport, the pilot attempted to land on runway 10 and over shot it. After touching down, the pilot attempted to control the aircraft, but due to its weight and momentum found it impossible to do so. At the time it touched down, the plane was loaded with 3,700 pounds of fuel, 4,800 pounds of passenger weight, and an estimated 500 pounds of band equipment, bringing the total of 9,000 pounds over and above the static weight of the aircraft.

The plane left the end of the runway and crossed 100 feet of open ground before plunging into the Fore River. Despite the large amount of fuel aboard, there was no fire, and the aircraft didn’t flood or sink. However, the plane was a complete loss, and all 24 men aboard were transported to area hospitals with varying degrees of injury.